Summer is here, and Downtown Ithaca just got a whole lot better on Thursdays.
Starting Thursday, June 11, the Beginnings Credit Union Summer Concert Series returns to the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons — every Thursday, 5 to 8 p.m., through September 3. Free. All ages. Right in the heart of downtown.
This is your invitation to make Thursdays your night downtown. Come early for dinner at one of the Commons restaurants, stay for the music, and close the night out with drinks, dessert, or a stroll through the shops. The Commons is the stage — and the whole district is the experience.
The Full 2026 Lineup
This year’s series runs 12 Thursdays and spans jazz, folk, rock, R&B, Latin, bluegrass, brass, and more — featuring beloved local acts and some fresh faces. Here’s every date:
| Date | Performers |
|---|---|
| June 11 | Jill McCracken / Maddy Walsh & The Blind Spots |
| June 18 | Material Objects / Stranded with a Kiss / Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death |
| June 25 | Ariel Arbisser / SingTrece |
| July 2 | Venissa Santí / Jorge T. Cuevas & The Caribe Jazz Allstars |
| July 9 | The Shambles / Li’l Anne & Hot Cayenne |
| July 16 | No show — GrassRoots Festival week |
| July 23 | Kitestring / Caviar & Grits / Mike Powell & The Echosound |
| July 30 | Louiston / Evan Horne |
| August 6 | GIAC Jumpers & Southside Panthers / Fall Creek Brass Band |
| August 13 | Drew Kiddoo & The Blackouts / Miller and The Other Sinners |
| August 20 | The Medicinals / Scuba Jerry |
| August 27 | Jeremiah Craig / Cast Iron Cowboys / The Rollin’ Rust |
| September 3 | GIAC Jumpers & Southside Panthers / Gunpoets |
Make a Night of It
The Concert Series is built to keep you downtown longer. Music runs 5–8 p.m., leaving plenty of time to arrive early for dinner, enjoy the show, and cap the evening with drinks or dessert nearby. Parking is available at the Green Street and Cayuga Street garages, TCAT serves the Commons from Green Street Station, and bike racks are located throughout the district.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Free music on the Commons doesn’t happen without community support. A big thank-you to the sponsors who make the 2026 series possible:
Presenting Sponsor: Beginnings Credit Union | Media Partners: What’s HOT Magazine, Cayuga Radio Group, NYS Music | Community Sponsors: Cayuga Health, Coughlin & Gerhart LLP, Park Grove Realty, Trade Design Build, Bousquet Holstein PLLC | Music Sponsors: Sound on Sound, Ithaca Guitar Works | Hospitality Sponsors: HH Ithaca, Revelry Yards
See the full series details and plan your Thursdays at downtownithaca.com/summer-concert-series.
